BUDDHA GAUTAM

Born in Lumbini garden in 541 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was destined to become Lord Buddha eventually, was born to Maya Devi, consort of King Suddhodana of Kapilvastu. Kingship was a highly respectable position there, even though, monarchy was neither hereditary nor lifelong in that state as the monarch would be elected. Prince Siddhartha received all possible care and luxury from his father, King Suddhodana and his (Siddhartha’s) second mother Queen Gautami as Siddharth’s own mother. Queen Maya Devi had died after a few days of his birth. Wise, keen and compassionate, Prince Siddhartha could not be satisfied and happy by all the luxuries he had in the palace, nor by his  marriage with a beautiful and ideal wife Yasodhara and not even by the birth of his one and only beloved son Rahula. The mystery and bitter realities of life, its inevitable realities like all kinds of sufferings from illness, old age, death, separation and the like, haunted him day and night. He, therefore, quit his palace at the age of 29 with a view to find out true knowledge and the right path to alleviate sufferings for the sake of mankind as a whole. He learnt a lot about many facets of life from several well known teachers like Alar Kalam and Uddak and others, but none to his full satisfaction, So he went on to a rigorous meditation for six years in a forest which also could not be successful in imparting him perfect knowledge. Later he chose the middle path, a path lying between both extremities like those of extreme suffering and excessive luxury. Accordingly, he took one meal daily and meditated with great concentration and discipline under a pipal tree at Gaya in India where he finally attained enlightenment and became The Buddha.  Since then, he preached for 45 years covering every aspect of Buddhism. At the age of 80, he attained Nirvana, the ultimate end of life without having to take any rebirths any more. See Tri-ratna and Buddhism.